Paco Cepero celebrates his fifty-year
career
with the release of the album ‘Abolengo’
Flamenco-world.com, October 2007
Paco
Cepero is in tip-top shape after fifty years in the
business. That’s demonstrated by his new record,
‘Abolengo’, “an album which includes
my latest scores full of experiences”. Bulerías,
rumbas, rondeñas, zapateados and tarantas are a
few of the styles the toque maestro offers on this self-produced
album, which he is accompanied on by musicians such as
guitarists José Ignacio Franco and Miguel Salado,
cantaora Elu de Jerez, bass player Ignacio Cintado, violinist
Archil and arrangement writer José Amosa, among
others. Jerez inspires the scores.
The grape harvest, the Horse Fair, La
Plazuela, San Miguel... Moments and places in the life
of Jerez run through the latest album by Paco Cepero.
‘Abolengo’ contains eleven new songs with
names as suggestive as ‘Plazuela’ for the
opening bulería, ‘Cruz Vieja’ for the
soleá por bulerías, ‘Caireles’
for the zapateado and ‘Vendimia’ for the aires
jerezanos. The repertoire is completed with rondeña,
rumba, ballad, taranta and the free-style songs ‘Capricho’
and ‘Feria’.
The lineup of artists taking part in
the recording includes guitarists José Ignacio
Franco and Miguel Salado, cantaora Elu de Jerez, bass
player Ignacio Cintado, violinist Archil, arrangement
writer José Amosa, and Cepillo, Juan Diego Santos
and Paco Habana on compás. The album is presented
with an oil painting on the cover by Cádiz-born
artist José Basto.
Record activity
Paco Cepero has never ceased being active.
Just in the last decade, he has released three albums.
In 2004 he came out with ‘Corazón y bordón’
and ‘De pura cepa’ dates back to the year
2000. Moreover, in the same period he has published the
sheet music book ‘Aires de Jerez’, with the
transcriptions of half a dozen pieces from his discography.
He has also recently won awards such as the Calle de Alcalá
2004 prize given by the CajaMadrid Festival.
